Portage County commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 30 to grant the Ohio Turnpike Commission a $79,061.34 sewer deduction after staff determined a summer service‑line break at the Brady Lake service plaza generated sewage charges for water that did not return to the system. The board’s motion was made and approved by roll call with Commissioners Sabrina, Jill and Mike recording "yes" votes.

"Because of that, they received a $153,000 water and sewer bill from us," Portage County Water Resources representative David said in presenting the matter to the board, referring to the combined water and sewer charge for the quarter. After reviewing historical usage and metered flows, David said about $79,061.34 of the sewage billing represented water that did not enter the sewer system and recommended a credit for that portion.

David told commissioners the county had already installed a cellular telemetry unit on the Turnpike plaza’s water meter as part of a meter‑testing pilot program and is moving ahead with a meter replacement program next year that would expand alarm notifications for continuous or unusually high usage. "We contacted that company, and we've installed a cellular unit on their water meter," David said. He added that future customers could opt to receive email or text alerts about continuous usage.

The board did not attach conditions to the credit; it approved the motion as presented. The commission recorded the motion as: "The board of commissioners agrees to grant the Ohio Turnpike Commission a sewer deduction of $79,061.34 due to a service leak at the Brady Leaf Service Plaza." The roll call recorded Sabrina, Jill and Mike as voting yes.

County staff characterized the credit as a one‑time adjustment tied to the specific service‑line failure and emphasized plans to reduce recurrence risk through telemetry and an anticipated meter replacement program. The county added that the water portion of the bill was charged because the water passed through the meter and was treated, and therefore remains billed in full.

No separate appeal or repayment terms were recorded in the meeting minutes for this deduction.